Our Staycation at Crosswinds Resort Suites (Tagaytay)

We didn’t have any plans to go out of town on the last long weekend of June, but my husband insisted to go to Tagaytay. I’m pretty sure that it was caused by his extreme guilt. We were supposed to have our wedding anniversary staycation, but he decided to cancel it out of paranoia. For the recollection of those living in the Philippines, there was an isolated incident in one of the hotels in Manila around the same time of our wedding anniversary. He cancelled our hotel reservation which I made as early as March! The following weekend, which also happens to be Father’s Day, my husband had to go to his company outing. We were supposed to tag along, but I realized that an overnight trip to Baguio would be too exhausting for Zayne. And so out of guilt, Boyet forced the idea of having a spontaneous trip to Tagaytay the following weekend. I wanted to punish him even more so I told him that he should be in charge of finding a hotel! Hahaha! Life was also probably trying to punish him because looking for a hotel at that time was so hard!

We were supposed to let go of the idea when my husband stumbled upon Crosswinds Resort Suites. Would you believe that we were able to book the only remaining room less than 24 hours before our stay?

We immediately drove to Crosswinds after our tiring but very fun visit to Paradizoo. I was in awe as soon as I laid my eyes on the lush greens and tall trees surrounding us. Our first five seconds in the vicinity already gave us major BAGUIO FEELS! Kinda Baguio levelz din ang zigzag from the main entrance papunta sa hotel! Hihi!

I seriously wished I brought my DSLR camera with me so I could have captured the beauty of the place. My mobile phone and point-and-shoot camera were not enough to give justice to my claim. But if you’re traveling with a toddler in tow, then a DSLR camera is the last thing you’ll ever think of packing! Hihihi. Basta maniwala na lang kayo sa akin na super duper ganda ng place!

We arrived around 4 PM so checking-in was such a breeze. We spent more time looking for the perfect parking spot than the actual time from waiting in line at the reception up to getting our room key.

I have to commend all the staff members who were all so warm and accommodating! Everybody was greeting and smiling at us. Even the guards rushed to us when he noticed that I was carrying Zayne, who was sleeping at that time, and he realized that it was starting to rain! The route from where we parked our car to the entrance of the hotel was a bit steep. Major major cardio for me! Hahaha!

We were eyeing to book a one-bedroom suite, but only the studio unit was available on the date of our stay. (E kasi nga BEST in CRAMMING kami sa trip na ‘to!) I was initially hesitant in booking the studio unit. I thought that the space would be so cramped for my hyperactive toddler, but my husband and I were both surprised because the room definitely exceeded our expectations! Zayne also kept on running and diving around the room! It’s that spacious!

Zayne kept on diving and sliding at this part of the room! Hahahaha!

I had the impression that Crosswinds aim to provide the perfect setup for guests looking for extended stay accommodation. Our room has a fully-equipped kitchen. It has a stove, refrigerator, cookware and utensils. I told my husband that we should have bought some supplies so I could cook our dinner. But he told me that he insisted on having our quick getaway so I could rest and take a break from cooking. (Major guilt trip talaga si Boyet! Hahaha!)

I welcomed the break from cooking with open arms, of course! Hihi! It helped that Crosswinds have partnered with some fast food restaurants for food delivery. We called Chowking, and dinner was delivered in our room! We all enjoyed eating our lauriat meals on the floor while watching TV! I do not allow that in our home so I think Boyet and Zayne welcomed that breath of fresh air. Hihi!

We had dinner picnic-style on the floor so we did not get to use this simple but pretty table setup.

The design of the bathroom is carefully thought of. Every inch of the space has been maximized! The toilet and shower areas are opposite each other, with the bathroom door in the middle. Pagpasok mo, mirror and sink, toilet sa right then shower area sa left. There is a hanging cabinet at the toilet area which houses the clean towels. We also utilized it by placing our own set of toiletries in the cabinet.

Our bathroom does not have a bathtub, but the hotel provides a non-slip mat which came in handy when we bathed Zayne. Basic toiletries are also provided. Apart from the brilliant design of the bathroom, I also have to commend Crosswinds for having a bidet! Hallelujah!!! Ang daming hotels na may bathtub nga pero wala namang bidet! Priorities, people. Priorities. :p

When we’re at home, Zayne and I co-sleep on the mattress on the floor while Boyet is alone on the bed. (But because he loves us so dearly, he squeezes himself with us in the middle of the night. FYI, single lang ‘yung size ng mattress. Haha!) Anyway, we all sleep on the bed when we go on staycations. But my husband was so worried that we might oversleep that night because we were both too tired from our trip to Paradizoo. Scared that Zayne might fall off the bed, he decided to place the mattress on the floor. Buti na lang magaan ‘yung mattress. Hihi!

Our accommodation includes buffet breakfast for two. I wasn’t able to take a photo of the buffet spread because we arrived around 8AM. I didn’t want to cause delay among the people falling in line.

I’ve been to other hotels that offer more varieties, but I have to commend Crosswinds for trying to have a little bit of everything! They made sure they appealed to the palates of both Filipino and foreign guests. I was initially disappointed because I was looking for some crispy bacon. But to compensate, they have salted eggs!!! I think it was my first time to see salted eggs in a breakfast buffet! It was perfect with the tinapa! Havey kayo dun, Crosswinds! Big apir!!!

We then decided to check out the amenities of Crosswinds after breakfast. My husband drove us around. Don’t worry if you don’t have a car because I think the management offers shuttle services to tour the guests around.

We first went to Santa’s House, but my baby daughter ended up being disappointed. We went to Santa’s House on June so I’m pretty sure that Santa was busy sleeping in preparation for the very busy Christmas season! Hahaha! Zayne kept on insisting that we open the door, but I told her that it was locked. Ayan, nagalit tuloy!

Strolling along the strip of beautiful houses and other structures made us feel like we were transported into another country! My husband jokingly said, “Ang sarap tumira dito! Tumatanggap kaya sila ng cash kapag bumili ako ngayon na?!” HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ang ganda, dabah???
I only used my cellphone camera to take this photo!!!

We needed to cheer Zayne up so we decided to check out the playground and pool area. It was a bad move because Zayne kept on saying MIMING MIMING! The problem was that Boyet forgot to pack his swimming clothes. I had mine, but it was the time of the month! We just let Zayne go up and down the slide instead. Haha!

We saw some people biking and jogging around the vicinity. While I was checking for reviews for Crosswinds, I noticed that there are a lot of properties up for booking on Airbnb. I guess it’s ideal for bigger groups.

My husband was initially planning to book a room in Taal Vista. That was where he proposed to me so he wanted to go back, this time with Zayne. It was fully-booked so we ended up at Crosswinds. I’ve been going back to Tagaytay for years, but it was the first time that I actually discovered Crosswinds. I’m glad we finally did! I was initially reluctant to give it a try, (kasi nga hindi ko kilala si Crosswinds) but Crosswinds exceeded my expectations! It is also an added bonus that our accommodation only costs around PHP4600!

We certainly had a nice and relaxing stay. I seriously can’t wait to go back!